Automatic ordnance of large caliber.



C. VON HANNEKEN.

" AUTOMATIC ORDNANCE 0E LARGE CALIBER.

(Application ld Jan. 13. 1899.)

No. 668,835.- rPatnmrlfeh. 2s, |901.

(nu Model.) sums-sheet 2;

M fw

@mafia/0,7.'

No. 668,835. .f Patented, Feb. 2s, Iam'. A c. voN HANNEKEN.

AUTOMATIC ORDNANCE 0F LARGE CALIBEB.

(Application led Jan. 13, 1899.)

(No Ildel.)

Il Sheets-Sheet 3.

f/"AS' A5 ff y H- C) o f =O l JE m. 668,835; 'ranma Feb. 2s, |901.

n C. VDN HANNEKEN.

AUTOMATIC OBDNANCE 0F LARGE CALIEI-L (Application led 13, 1899.) (No Model.) Il Shoelt-Sheet 4.

(Wfzff i@ kaf/WWW.

no. 668,835. Patented rah.' 2s, i901.

c. von HANNEKEN.

AUTOMATIC URDNA'NCE 0F LARGE GALIBEB.

(Application me@ Jan. 13. 1899.) l

' 2mm-snml (lo Iodol.)

n. 668,835. Farmen Feb, 2,6, |9ol.

C. VDN HANNEKEN.

AUTOMATIC UBDNANCE 0F LARGE CALIBER.

No. 668,835. Patented rsh. 2s, |901. c. von "Anm-:Kenn

` AUTOMATIC URDNANCE 0F LARGE GLIBEB.

' (Application led Jan. 18. 1899.) (In lodel.) Il Sheets-Sheet 7.

Patented Fab. 2.6, I90l.

c. von` HANNEKEN. AUTOMATIC URDNANE 0F LARGE CAL-IBER.

(Application led Jan. 13. 1899.) (lo Iodol.) Il Sheets-Sheet 8.

N0. 668,835. Patented Feb. 26, |90l.

C. VON HANNEKEN. AUTUMYATIC URDNANCE 0F LARGE CALIBER.

(Application med Jan. 13, 1899.)

ll Sheets-Sheet 9.

(No Iodel.)

cjvon HANNEKEN. AUTOMATIC ORDNANCE 0F LARGE CALIBER.

Patented Feb. 2s, |901.

y(No Model.)

(Application led Jun. 13, 1899.!

Y Patented Feb. 2s, 190|. c. von HANNEKEN. AUTOMATIC ORDNANCE 0F LARGE CALIBER..

(Application tiled Jan. 13. 1889) Il Sheets-Sheet Il.

(l0 Nadel.)

` UNTTED ,STATES PATENT @Tirreniv coNsTANrIN voN HANNEKEN, oF BERLIN, GERMANY.

AUTOMATIC .GRN-ANCE OF LARGE CALIBER.4

SPECIFEGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,835, dated February `26, 1901. Application iiled January 13, 1899. Serial N0- 702,06l. (No model.)

To MZ whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, CoNsTANTIN voN HAN- NEKEN, asubject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in orRelating to Automatic Ordnance of Large Caliber, (for which I have applied for a patent in Germany, filed June 27, 1898; in Austria, filed July 11, 1898;y in England, led July 2, 1898; in Switzerland, filed July 11, 1898; in France, led June 20, 1898; in Belgium, tiled June 27, 1898; in Sweden, filed June 29, 1898, and in Italy, filed July 1, 1898,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toa further improvement in the construction of automatic ordnance of large caliber making the object of my application, Serial No. 682,063, filed May Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the single gun in the loading position before' the beginning of the loading operation, the side wall of the gun-carriage covering the arrangement of the j the recoil and loading cylinders.

recoil and loading device'bei ng omitted. Fig.

2 is an outer side view of the gun in the loading position after loading. Fig. 3 is a corresponding rear View. Fig. 4 is a side view corresponding to Fig. 2, the gun being in the ring position. Fig. is a plan View of the arrangement,- the gun being shown in dotted` lines. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through Fig. 7 is a detail View of the recoil and loading pistons.

15 .and "16 4are longitudinal sections 'corre-- spending to Figs. l2 and 13.' Fig.17isa plan viewof the breech, the block being removed.

Fig. 18 is a section through the gun-barrelandthe pointing arrangement in the directionof the axis of the pointing-trunnions, Fig. 19 is an internal view of the sliding rail for the pointing-trimnions of the gun, and

Fig. 2O is a diagrammatic view of the motion of the breech-block.

The substructure for the single gun is shown in Figs. 1 to 4. To the platform is secured a fixed frame receiving the accumulatems by which the recoil-power is transmitted to the` 'several mechanisms. The -f rame A consists of two strong side metal plates firmlyl trunnions, so that thegun can swing in an tor as Well as the bearings of the lever sysarc around the shaft b. i The movement of the lever B is limited by the stops d. Behind the lever B is arranged the casing C of' the recoil and loading cylinders, pivoted at e in the frame A and-having the head c2 of the plunger cy entering a recess of the lever B and jointed to it by a pin o. Below c there is screwed into the right-hand side of the lever B a round striking-stud b', having aquadrant4 cut out on its upper side, Fig. 1, so that the pawl t can engage therein. This pawl is piv- -oted on a shaft journaled 'in tl'ie frame and propiston, and the outer one has its upper end.

connected by the rod r Ito the loading device L, which is constructed as follows: .Trough N is raisetlby the thrust of the rod r and lowered by its pulling action'. As shown, the loading device L consists of a. trough N, serving to receive the cartridges and supported in links by two levers M M'. These levers are carried by shafts w w', supported in the wall A and connected with each other by I' means of the crank-arms andzof the push-rod Z ZZ2 and by the rod 'r 'with the lever I,actu

ating the loading mechanism.- The rear tu bularV part of the trough-carries the slotted rammer-piston actuated by the rannncr-levcr O.

Ilo

The lever O swings on a projection N' of the trough and is turned forward at the ti me the trough moves upward as it catches with a nose O behind a stop on the shaft w, whereupon ,the cartridge is pushed in.

The recoil and loading cylinders, Figs. 6 to 10.For effecting the loading of the gun and its return to'iring position I have devised a new arrangement, shown in cross-section on an enlarged scale in Fig. 6. .It consists of a strong double cylinder with two bores of different diameters and is pivoted at c to the frame. In the large bore moves the recoilplunger' c, having at its vvrear end a concave washer and having lits front end connected at c' to the lever B. In the ,small bore is a piston d, the 'rod cl of which has a slotted h'ead, through which passes loosely to slide therein the lever P, swinging on the shaft of the lever and actuating the loading device. low the piston c of the cylinder there is formed a space f, between which and the-cylinder is a valve g, which opens during the descent of the piston c, but 'closes when the downstroke is 'iinished The air compressed by the piston is forced 'into the space f. From f a passage hin the wall ofthe casing leads upward and opens at certain points into the bores, into the larger bore at ,where the Washer of the plunger c when it is quite down closes said passage t', and into the smaller bore higher at lo, which is above the piston d when it Ais fullyout. Thesupply of air under pressure into this passage h can be shut off by a valve l, the stem of which passes through the bottom of the cylinder-body and is connected to the starting-lever m, by the movements of which the passage his closed or opened. Besides the ports i and la of the passage h there is a direct com munication'n between the two cylinder-bores. Three sectional plans, Figs. 8, 9, and 10, showy the communications between the cylinders looking down. The communication n is controlled by a special valve in such a manner that the air under pressure or the liquid in the smaller cylinder asses to lthe large cylinder when the piston (l) is below the mouth of n, and the valve in the passage rnl prevents ow fromthe large cylinder'to the small cylinder, Fig. 10. Between the` plunger ctand the piston-rod d there is a connection, such as shown in plan in Fig. 7. On the head vof the plunger c a tappet co projects toward the piston-rod ol', and when the piston advances bears on a corresponding tappet of the piston-rod ol@ so that the piston cl moves outward along with the plunger'c. The plungers work in such a manner that after the .valve l is opened by means of lever m the working fluid can only iiow through the upper passage k over piston d in its highest positionand drive this piston back, so that the loading mechanism is actuated. When piston (l has been forcedback into its lowest position, the passage n, connecting both cyl inders,l is free. The fluid passes from the piston d under the plunger c, which is in its suspension.

lowest position, until port z' becoming uncovered the compressed working fluid flows through the shortest path under plunger c..

In the meantime plunger c has, by means of its stop c, raised along with itself .piston-rod d', and the passage 'n is again closed by the ascending piston d as soon as opening 'i is uncovered.

Breech-closfwre, Figs. 11 to 17.-,'l`hey gun is shown with a vertical breech-closure having an ejector device, Fig. 20, which is opened and closed by means of bent levers 12 11 13, supported' in the breechpiece. On both sides of the breech-piece swing the curved rails 14 on pivots l5 of the breech. The pivots, Fig. 11, pass through a. bore 17 in the curved rail 14 and aline with the angle 13 of the levers 11 12 13. There is arranged in the lower part of the curved rail a guide-slot 18.

-Theradius of this slot is equal to the distance between the trunnion and the pivot of The length of the slot corresponds to the desired angular movement of the gun.v A strong bolt 19 passes through the walls of the lower' carriage and through the slot 18. During the inward and the recoil motion of the gun the curved rails 14 must make a corresponding swinging movement. Each curved rail constitutes, therefore, a lever of the second kind suspended on pivot 15 and the twopivots of application of which are situated at the bolt 19 of the vlower carriage'an'd in the bore 17, into which engage the pivots 16 of the closure-lever.' 'lhe position of the pivot 15 is altered at each inward and recoil motion of the gun, While the bolt 19 is stationary. An angularstroke of the curved rail thus takes place, wherefrom results a corresponding angular motion of thel bore 17 of the rail. is of such an extent that item-responds to that stroke'of the bent levers 12 11 13 which is necessary for opening and closing the breech. This is clearly explained by the two positions of the breech-block shown in Fig. 20. Owing to the form of the radial slot of the curved rail 14, the breech of the gun when it has returned into the firing position is closed in any vertical position. When the IOO Thisangular motion IIC Ill

gun has returned into the loading position,

the complete opening of the breech takes places in only one position, determined by the pointing device, and in' the drawings this is the horizontal position. l

The closure is shown in Figs. 11- to 17 of the accompanying drawings. As vshown in the longitudinal Sectio Figs. 15 and`16, the

closure contains the animer o, suspended so as to swing on an upper pivot o and strike with its point o2 through an opening in the fore-block face under the action of the spring o3 against the priming-cap of the cartridge as soon as the closure is closed. A pressurebolt p passes above the hammer-pointtransvversely through the block, and outside on the block-cheeks (see Figs. 12 and 13)"bent pressure-arms p', riveted to the bolt, swing` Izl , ceases also on the pivot o' of the hammer, which projects to the outside. In theslide-faces of the breech of the gun, serving to guide the closure, there are arranged, as seen in the plan, Fig. 17, ou each side, y two tappets, p2, dotted in Figs. 12 and 13, and betweenl these the pressure-arms p', actuating the hammer o, are suspended, so that owing to their peculiar shape they are moved back, ward when the'closure is opened, Fig. 12, and moved forward when the closure is closed, Fig. 13. the hammer is forced back with certainty by the bolt p compressing the spring os. When the closure is qui-te opened, the nose o4 slides over a sears, urged forward by a small sprinf. In lowering the closure'the arms p', Fig. 13, again swing lforward, taking with them the bolt p. The hammer o, however, is held by the engagement-of the nose o4 w-ith the sear s, Fig. 15. The sear s is provided outside with an aperture having a cam-face s', which as soon as the breech is complet-ely closed slides down over a cam-lug s2, which is secured to the rear part of the breech, so that when the closure is complete the scar s'is drawn back, releasing the iever-nose o4, so that, as shown in Fig. 16, the hammer is suddenly driven forward.

'Stop device-Vith the closure a stop device is combined in such a manner that itperarms relatively to each other.

forms two functions: First, it prevents the cartridge in the gun from sliding backward,

which might occur-owing to the inertia of the cartridge when the gun is run out, and, secondly, it stops the forward movement of the gun when the cartridge hatt not been complete] y seated in its chamber. In orderV to attain particularly this latter object, the following circumstance has been utilized in constructing the stop device. The breech-block is drawn downward only by the motion ofthe gun returning to battery. If owing to a defective loading the cartridge does not become completely seated in its chamber, the gun` would be brought into its firing position with the breech-closure open. It must therefore be prevented that the gun should move into its firing position when the breech is not absolutely closed, and this is obtained by stopping the disengaged recoiland loading device, which is in its inner position, and consequently the motion of all parts. Such a stopping is effected immediately when the breechblock does not reach its end position in proper time by the peculiar double-lever transmis: sion between the curved rail 14 and the closure-lever 12 1l 13, Fig. 20. Any jamming of the breech-closure hinders by the pressure any further motion of the levers and, reacting, renders the recoil and loading device inactive, owing to the position of the lever- For this purpose there is arranged in a bore of the rear part of the breech, Figs. 12 and 13, a bolt l,

which is urged bya spx'inginto a hole in the' closure-block when the closure is quite opened.

Thus when the closure is opened The bolt 1 has outside al1-aperture 2, into which can enter the tongue 4 of a pawl 3. The right end, Fig. 17, of this pawl has a nose 5 under the control of a stop 6 as soon as' the pawl 3 moves, so that its tongue et withdraws the bolt l from the recess of the closure. This takes piace, Figs. 12 and 15, as soon asthe lever 0 of the loading mechanism has iinished its .forward motion, effecting the complete introduction of the cartridge into the chamber of the gun, the lever then striking against the pawl 3. cartridge from sliding back, there is arranged, Fig. 15, below the hammer in the closureblock a vertically-swinging lever 7, urgedV downward by a spring, so that its front end comes behind the upper edge of the cartridge bottom as soon as a catch behind the bolt is disengaged. This is eected by the pressure of the pin 8, Figs. 15 and 17, against which the lever O strikes. This pin 8 passes th rough a slot of the pawl 3, and as soon as the lever 0f when the loading is completed strikes against it the bolt 1 is withdrawn and the lever 7 is atA the same time disengaged. When the breech-block is lowered, the lever 7 ,meets a stop-screw 9 and is ,turned to the position shown in Fig. 16 out of the waywhenafter the discharge of the gun the empty cartridge is to'be ejected. The catch 6 is also moved by engagement with the sear s when the breech is closed, disengaging. the pawl 3, so that the bolt 1 ,can again enter the hole of the closure when the breech is again opened.V A

Pointing cle/vice. l--'Ihe pointing device shown on the gun in Figs. 1 to l5 is more fully explained on reference to the cross-section, Fig. 18, and its vertical section, Fig. 19. rlwo slide-rails u are arranged on both sides` of the gun, their open sides facing each other, and are pivoted at fu' in bracket-plales fu, bolted to the fore part of the frame A. In the slide-rails u when the gun moves slide the pointing-pivots R, projecting from the gun, and below the slide-rails there areixed segmentsS, the teeth of which gear with two toothed wheels S on a shaft q, mounted in bearings Q infront of the head of the frame A and turned by a hand-crank, or it might be by a motor and suitable gear.

Working ofhe single gun. The single gun is worked in the following manner: The gu'n is, according to Fig. l, in the loadingposition before-the beginning of the loading operation. The cylinder' o is filled with compressed air or liquid, the ,cartridge-trough N is lowered, and the closure is opened for receiving a cartridge. A cartridge is placed by hand `in the loading-trough. By reversing the lever m, Fig. 6, the valve Z is opened and air under pressure fiows from the collector f through fthe channel h, above the piston'd, into the cylinder, forcing back the piston d. The piston-rod d takes with it the lever P on the sleeve of the shalli b, and lever P', following this backward movement, transmits it bythe rcd'r to the loading mechanism, which is In order to prevent the caused to introduce the cartridge into the.

gun. When the lever P' terminates its back stroke, it presses against the arm t' of the pawl, releasing it, Fig. 2. .At the same time the loading-leverO presses upon the head of pin 8 and unlocks the closure. After the loading has been completed and-pawl t released by arm t' the piston d, having been forced backward, passes beyond the passage at, and the Huid under pressure iiows from the small cylinder into the main cylinder below the piston c, Fig. 10. This piston is immediately forced forward and bears with its tappet c, Fig. 6, against the corresponding tappet of the piston-rod d', taking with` it thepiston d, and so moving the levers P and P', so that the cartridgeetrough is lowered again backward by rod fr and cranks z. In its forward movement the piston d shuts oli. gradually the inlet-opening to n, Figs. 6 and 7; but before the closure is quite completed the piston c has moved forward. so far as to open the communication vl between the passage h and the large cylinder.

the cylinder and terminates the forward movement of the piston c. In the movement of the piston c the leverB, connected-therewith, is moved forward and the gun is advanced to the firing position, with the elevation determined by the pointing device. Immediately afterward, after the closure has been completely lowered, the cartridge is tired. By the recoil the lever B is then trned backward and the piston c is forced again into its cylinder. The pawl t catches behind the recess of the bolt b', so that the gun is stopped in the loading position. The air compressed -in the cylinder of the piston is forced through the valve g into the spacef, where it receives its initial pressure. It passes then through the valve Z, left open, intothe passage h, and by actuating the piston d in the small cylinder starts a new loading operation andthe subsequent disengagement of the pawl t and of the valve for advancing the piston c. As long as there are furnished cartridges into the trough N all these operations are repeated automatically until by reversing the hand-levermin proper time the valve Z is closed, whereupon the recoiled gun rests in the loading position, the cartridge-trough N being in its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 1, representing the starting position.

Some features of my invention which are herein shown and described are also contained in my applications for United States Patent led January 7, 1897, and May 28, 1898, Serial Nos.6l8,253 and 682,063, respectively, and are there claimed.

l. An automatic gun comprising a carriage,

a support pivoted thereto, a gun proper car-l The pressure i'n the space fis colnmunicated through the opening 1l' to connected operatively with the said second plunger, and mechanism for governing the operation of said plungers.

2. An automatic gun com prisinga carriage, a support pivoted thereto, a gun proper carried by said support, two cylinders and a collecting-chamber having a check-valved communication with one cylinder and an independent connection with each cylinder, a valve controlling said independent connection, a starting-lever for operating said valve, a plunger operatively connected with the swinging gun-support and working in that cylinder which has a check-valved communication with the collecting-chamber, another plunger working in the other cylinder, and a said second plunger.

3. An automatic gun comprisingacarriage, a support pivoted thereto, a gun proper carried by said support, two cylinders having a valved connecting channel, a collectingchamber having a check-valved communication with one cylinder, an independent channel extending from the collecting-chamber to each of the cylinders, a valve controlling said independent channel, a starting-lever for op- .erating said valve, a plunger operatively connected with the swinging gun-support and working in that cylinder which has a check-l valved communication with the collectingchamber, another plu-nger working in the other cylinder, and a loading device operatively connected with the said second plu nger.

a support pivoted thereto, a gun proper cara plunger operatively connected with said support and provided with a projection, another cylinder having a plunger extending into the path of said projection to be operated thereby, a loading device connected operatively with the said second plunger, and mechanism for causing the operation of said plungers.

5. An automatic gun com prisinga carriage, a ysupport pivoted thereto, a gun proper carried by said support, a recoil-cylinder having a plunger operatively connected with said support, another cylinder having a plunger, a loading device connected operatively with the said second plunger, a pawl for locking the gun support in the loading position, means, connected operatively with the'loading mechanism for actuating said pawl to release the gun-support, and mechanism for governing the action of the plungers.

6. The combination with the gun having a stop at the breech, of a movable breech block or closure, a movable cartridge-retainer carthe cartridge to prevent its accidental displacement after loading, a catch for normally holding said cartridge-retainer in an inactive position, and a loading device having means for operating said catch to release the cartridge-retainer, the latter being adapted to 4. An automatic gun comprising a carriage,

loading device operatively connected with the l IOO ried by said support, a recoil-cylinder having IIO ried by saidclosure and adapted to engage Iss BEST VILBLE COPY engage the stop at the breech of the gun, to move the cartridge-retainer back into locking engagement with its catch.

7. A gun comprising a carriage, a support pivoted thereto, a gun propercarried by said.

support having pointing-trunnions, vpointingplates, pivoted to the carriage and provided' with longitudinal guides engaged by the pointng-trunnions of the gun the pivots of the pointing-plates alining with a portion of the correspondinglongitudinal guides, so that the pointing-trunnions of the gun are capable of alining with the pivots of the pointingplates, and means for actuating said plates.

8. In an automatic gun, the combination of the carriage, the support movably mountedriage and in locking engagement with thejsupport when the gun is held in the recoil position during the loading operation, a loading mechanism, a loading-cylinderl having a port through which the recoil -pressurc is con- -veyed thereto, a loading-piston operatively connected with the loading mechanism, the latter'engaging the pawl to trip it when the loading is completed, whereby the gun is released and then run into battery by said recoil-piston.

10. The oombinationof a pivoted gun, a pointing-plate pivotally mounted adjacent to the gun and having a slideway receiving a part of the gun, whereby to point the gun by the movement of the pointing-plate, the pivot of the latter alining with a portion of said slideway so that the said part of the gun can be brought into alinement with the pivot of the pointing-plate, and means for drivingthe pointing-plate around its pivot.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CONSTANTIN VON IIANNEKEN.

Witnesses:

OTTO HERING, GUsTAv HLSMANN. 

